Morris County will hold its seventh annual Overdose Awareness Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, outside the Human Service Complex at One Medical Drive in Morris Plains. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
Families who have lost a loved one to an overdose or to fentanyl poisoning are asked to arrive at 9:30 a.m., when memorial name banners will be on display ahead of the program. The ceremony itself will feature county and state officials, guest speakers, service providers and nonprofit partners. Seating is not provided, so attendees are welcome to bring their own chairs.
The county’s Division of Community and Behavioral Health Services organizes the event each year alongside the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and its Hope One mobile services unit, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and a group of community partners.
Aug. 31 is marked internationally as Overdose Awareness Day, a date set aside to draw attention to the opioid and fentanyl crisis and to cut down on the stigma that keeps many families from asking for help. New Jersey put the date on its own calendar in 2020 through legislation sponsored by State Sen. Anthony Bucco and signed by then-Gov. Phil Murphy. The Morris County Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution recognizing the observance on July 8 of that year.
The program is built around three things: honoring the people Morris County has lost, acknowledging what those deaths have done to families and neighborhoods, and pointing residents toward prevention, treatment and recovery services close to home. The county keeps a running list of local programs, including Hope One and the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, on its substance use resources page.
Denville Now covers public safety and community news across Morris County year-round, from Denville Police activity to local events like Morris County Living History Weekend.
Photo credit: Morris County
